Pastoral Missive VI
“A Blessing Proclaimed for the Lord’s Church”
It is with great
humility, love and concern, that this missive has been written to the members
of the Church of God, which are in Christ Jesus, who have been called to be Saints.
We proclaim unto you,
with great excitement, enthusiasm, and anticipation, that the new year of 2010,
will be a year full of, possibilities, promise, and purpose.
Furthermore, we encourage
each and every one of you to activate your faith in this New Year, and prepare
to receive the rewards of obedience to the Lord. Remembering this one fact, that Jesus Christ is
the master of turning your, “impossibilities into possibilities.”
Moreover beloved, stop
letting your past, defeat your present, and
distract you from your future.
Guard in your heart these words that God has spoken unto you, and
receive your “exceeding great and precious promises,” that manifest
through His word, and God will, restore back unto you everything that the, “palmer
worm and the cankerworm” has destroyed.
Finally beloved, you must continue to walk in Victory through
the Spirit, and fulfill God’s purpose for your life, trusting in the
Almighty God of heaven and earth, El-Shaddi, ever increasing in your
knowledge of the holy word, and holding on to the truth that in 2010, “The
Blessings of the Lord maketh rich, and addeth no sorrow.”
Pastor Screven
Pastoral Missive V
“The Change We Can Believe In”
President Barack Obama
Jeremiah 7: 5, 7
“If
you really change
your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,”
“Then
I will let you live in this place, in the land that I gave your
forefathers for ever and ever.”
(NIV version)
In
life we often realize that there are
many unpredictable situations which transpire and often shape our human
development and existence. Therefore,
our
focus for the month is on the topic of change.
Since
the
world began changes have always
taken place, and the effects of these changes can be seen in the
advancements
made in art, science, literature, music, and even in religion.
Religion has
always been an active agent
and motivator to bring about change.
Historically,
organized religion has been used both negatively and positively by
adherents to
promote the change agenda. Negatively,
organized religion was responsible for the many armed conflicts and
ensuing
mayhem during the Middle Ages of world history deceptively titled the “Crusades.” Positively, religion has
assisted in the
propagation of God’s word to mankind in the mass production,
printing and
distribution of bibles for all to read during the period of world
history
appropriately titled the “Enlightenment.”
Moreover, to
understand God’s purpose for change
more succinctly, one would do well to read the Old Testament Book of Genesis, because expressed
therein
is a movement of thought that looks
downward in
establishing the foundation
for change through the promised messiah, the ultimate change agent, the
Christ.
Furthermore,
as members of the faith community,
we are compelled after reading the above quoted writings of the Prophet
Jeremiah, to adopt positive ways and actions that reflect change. Moreover, in this
scripture the word for
change made applicable in the Old Testament text, (KJV
version), is the verb, “amend. “ Substituting the English
word for amend, through the
lexiconian process of
transliteration, gives to us the Hebrew word “Yatab,”
which means “to
make a thing good, right or beautiful.” Such insightful
clarity assists us in the
proper application and the spiritual impartation implied by our focal
word, change.
Summarily,
this Hebrew word, “Yatab” in and of itself, conveys a message of
change so powerful and relevant, that we who are truly seeking the good
in
every situation, circumstance, and issue that life presents to us,
receive hope
from this word, because the message delivered by the prophet in this
text, was
pronounced from the mind of the very God that we serve.
Please,
take a moment to just think of what God has done in our lives. God has changed what was
“bad” to what is “good,”
what was “wrong” to what is now
“right,” what
was “marred, defiled,
tarnished, and ugly”, to what now looks “beautiful.”
Therefore,
we have the assurance of faith
that grants us the ability to know that the change that God has brought
forth
and conceived in our lives can never be undone, altered, deleted or
destroyed. Finally
beloved, let us create and
participate in positive growth opportunities everyday of our lives that
will promote
and substantiate “the change we can
believe in.”
Pastor
Screven 2009
Pastoral
Monthly Missive IV:
"Teaching
Them to Observe All Things..."
Matthew
28:20 (a)
Its
Back To School Time!
In every state in America, parents,
and their children are preparing for the start of a new school
year.
Therefore, the focus for this month is on the topic
of education.
Education
is an important aspect of human
development. Throughout scripture words such as "train,
teach, observe, and
study, "
just to name a few, are used to
illustrate the importance of education.
In
the Deutero -Jewish culture, educating the young was
commanded by God, scripture states in Deuteronomy 6: 1 -2 (a), Moses
explained
to the children of Israel that, "These are the commands,
decrees and laws
the Lord God directed me to teach you to observe in the land you are
cossing
the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children
after them
may fear the Lord your God as long as you live..." (NIV
version).
As pronounced
in scripture, parents are
entrusted with the God-given responsibility to oversee the
educational
development of their children.
Research
has shown that children whose parents actively
participate in the educational development in the lives of
their children
help them to earn better grades, get better test scores, enjoy school
more, and
this also increases their chances of graduating from high
school and
attending college.
Biblically,
we are told to “Train a child in the way
he should go...” (NIV
version), this implies participation of
parents in every
stage of their childrens, educational, spiritual, and social
life.
We
want to encourage every parent to play a greater
role in their children's educational, spiritual, and
social
development.
Sept.
2009 Pastor Ahmed Screven
Pastoral
Missive III:
Genesis
26: 12-14
"Now Isaac sowed in that land and reaped
in the same year a
hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him, and the man became rich, and
continued
to grow richer until he became very wealthy; for he had possessions of
flocks
and herds and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him."
As we usher in the New Year of 2009, I perceive that there is a
spirit of
expectancy that has begun to permeate into our Christian
reformation.
During these preliminary stages of a New Year, we have already been
empowered
with the election of President Barack Obama, an historical and
monumental
achievement, that many believed would never have transpired in our
lifetime. This paradigmatic event, in and of itself, has
inspired a
multitude of young Christian Americans to reach for "the
impossible
dream" in their lives. The phraseology of "Yes,
we
can," has resonated and transformed the religious,
socioeconomic, and
political systems of this country, than any prior statement made in
world
history, other than the statements that are contained in our Holy
Scriptures.
But there is a question in my mind, and it is, whether we really
understand the "Lord's perspective of the believer and the
church during this season
of change in the political infrastructure and with the economic
recession?"
American political achievements aside, let us peruse our biblical
history. Historically, we have evidence that our church was
birthed after
the Calvary experience of Christ Jesus. Immediately
thereafter followed a
period of persecution, tribulation, destruction, and death, which
occurred as a
direct result of the Gospel that began to redefine the religious,
political,
and social order of that time period. The power of the Gospel that
changes
lives, nations, and worlds, had its religious roots in an "upper
room," experience that would quickly spread into "...Jerusalem,
all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth."
Spiritually, it is our belief in Christ Jesus that has transferred our
citizenship and allegiance from earth to the Kingdom of
Heaven. This
occurrence gives us the ability to understand that notwithstanding
America's
current political events, financial recession and economic instability,
we yet
believe, that we have an "advocate" with the
Father, who is
consistently providing for us daily.
With this in mind, our spiritual expectancy level increases, for we
know that "…God,
shall supply all of our needs, according to his glorious riches, in
Christ
Jesus." In addition, we also believe that our faith
in the
divine surrounds us with protection, prosperity, peace,
favor, abundance,
and good health.
However, after a thorough investigation of the above referenced
biblical
narrative found in Genesis chapter 26, it is revealed to us that there
was a
prevalence of famine in the geographical areas of land that the people
of God
encountered. Furthermore, the famine would ultimately
devastate entire
nations, and destroy millions of lives. Famine
is defined as a "shortage,
or a severe lack of substance." Moreover, during
this time of "America's
shortage," do not be alarmed or fearful, because in spite of
the
debilitating effects of any famine discussed in the Bible, it is a fact
that
when the Lord places His divine shield of protection and
favor on any
person, tribe, or nation, it was inevitable, that they would
receive a
supernatural increase of abundance and blessings. Even though
the entire
outside world around them would be devastated by famine.
Finally, it is because of these aforementioned facts, and our belief in
Christ
Jesus, that we now speak into your life and
encourage you to remain
determined to totally follow our Lord to receive all of His
promises.
Keep in mind to remember these words of the Apostle Paul "…
A man reaps
what he sows." Sow your best seeds early in 2009,
and with
faith, expect and receive your harvest of abundance and blessings from
the Lord
within the year. Grace and Peace.
Pastoral
Missive II:
Beware
of the Seven Nations of Canaan
In our modern
world today, the forces of darkness have crept into every
element of society, whether they are social, political, judicial, or
ecclesiastical in nature.
In Old Testament Biblical dialogue, the Word
of God provides positive historical proof that the people whom God had
chosen, would to be tested by the surrounding seven nations of Canaan.
Canaan was the grandson of Noah, the builder of the Ark, and the son of
Ham. Noah cursed Canaan because of the sin of his father, who exposed
Noah’s nakedness to his two brothers, Shem and Japheth.
The descendants of Canaan became so vile and corrupt that ultimately
God pronounced destruction on their immoral practices that included the
acts of homosexuality, bestiality, the cursing of parents, witchcraft
and incest, just to name a few. God knew then, just like He knows now,
that His chosen people would face the same tests by these Canaanite
spirits. The total obliteration of the seven nations of Canaan has
historically been questioned by some scholars and religious orders, in
their quest to understand the mind of God in terms of: “Why
would
a loving God, the creator of all things, choose such a terrible fate
for any human being.”
Two relevant points presumably can answer this question. First, one has
to realize that yes, “God
is love,” however, God is
also
not the “author
of confusion, but of peace.” To
submit
one’s body or lifestyle to include practices clearly and
unequivocally denounced by God is to be in a state of confusion,
because of the lofty and higher principles of godliness that has been
given to every human being that lives on this earth.
Second, the
judicial aspect of God’s sovereign rule over man and the
universe
gives us the intelligence to recognize that for every promise of
blessing that God has given, there is also given a punitive penalty, if
one chooses to forsake God’s instructions for living on this
earth. This legal premise, allows us to deduce two facts: that if human
government can enact laws, statutes and ordinances for the betterment
of society and the protection of all humans, then one can logically
infer that the sovereignty of God allows Him to also create legal
enactments for His loyal constituency, and for all those that live on
the earth.
If we are to understand God’s will for our lives,
and
to attain the highest level of service, let us begin to obey the voice
of God by driving out the seven nations of Canaan from our homes, our
schools, our communities, our cities, our governments, our courts, and
even our churches.
Let us begin this endeavor by utilizing the Word of
God. The Bible instructs all of humanity of one salient fact found in
St. Matthew 12: 31 were it reads in relevant part: “Wherefore,
I
say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto
men…”
The rules of engagement for a successful campaign to remove these
spirits of the seven nations of Canaan, has to originate from the
information contained within the aforementioned scripture, and must be
articulated to all people inclusive of the fact that, God forgives all
sin, and will wipe away any stains from your past life, because of His
precious promises to mankind.
Finally, lets us begin our successful
campaign against the Canaanite spirits, and look forward to victorious
results because of our valiant efforts that are based on
God’s
command. Amen.
Pastoral
Missive I:
God’s Call to the
Church in the 21st Century
Do
we really understand
the concept of leading and following?
“Lead,
follow, or get
out of the way!” That old slogan may seem trite, but it is
based on a great
truth in organizations: many people are neither leaders nor followers.
They are
uncommitted, uninvolved, and disinterested in the success of the
institution.
Sadly, this is true in many churches. Churches may have qualified
leaders, but
not enough committed followers to move forward.
The
leader-follower
relationship requires two elements. First, there must be a leader, the
one in
front. Second, there must be a follower, someone not in front, but
moving in
the same direction as the leader. This simple model means that following
describes a relationship of subservience.
Followers
yield
themselves to the direction of the leader. It also means that following
requires a living relationship. We do not talk about one rock following
the
lead of another rock in a rock garden. If nothing is moving, then there
is no
leader-follower relationship.
A
central demand of
Christianity is that we be followers of Jesus. This does not imply that
we are
on some kind of group tour. And it is much more than being a member of
a
certain family. To follow Jesus is an individual, personal choice. It
is both a
life commitment and a daily decision.
Because
Jesus is not a
physical presence in our lives, following Him is an act of faith. We
believe in
Him; therefore we follow Him. To do this is to acknowledge Him as our
Lord and
Master. To follow Jesus is to be His disciple. Jesus leads us all. We
in the
church submit ourselves to the lordship of Jesus. It is His
church—He paid for
it with His blood (1 Corinthians 6:20).
But
Jesus also calls
some in the church to act as leaders on His behalf. Effective, vibrant
churches
have committed leaders and followers. Ineffective churches have a large
percentage of bystanders, those who choose neither to lead nor to
follow. Such
churches become like the rock garden. They may have people in place,
but
nothing ever changes. No progress is ever made.
This
is why discipleship
is such a crucial issue for the church. The church is to be made up of
followers (disciples) of Jesus. They are committed to making more
disciples. To
do this is to carry out the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19,
20. And
the only possible way for this mandate to be performed
effectively is if
the church understands God's call to the Christian church in
the 21st
century.
|
Pastoral
Missive VII 
Past
Missives
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